At the beginning of this year, the Bozen-based Oberalp Group took over the exclusive distribution of the Swedish outdoor clothing brand “2117 of Sweden” for 13 European countries, namely Italy, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Spain, Andorra and France.
Although the handshake took place in early summer last year, the agreement between the two outdoor companies remained confidential until all the details were finalized. Oberalp CEO Christoph Engl, Stefano Bovolon (Oberalps Business Unit Director Distribution) and Axel Brosch (General Manager Central Europe) engineered the agreement with the Scandinavian outdoor clothing manufacturer.
“We see ourselves as brand partners at eye level and together with 2117 we strive for healthy and careful growth. The strong focus on sustainable, straightforward and honest Scandinavian-style winter clothing led us to the decision to include 2117 in our premium brand portfolio. We feel particularly connected to the business philosophy and the values of the brand because our six mountain sports brands have also been committed to a comprehensive CSR philosophy for many years,” commented Engl in a statement.
“The minimalist, Scandinavian design of 2117 is achieved through high standards of functionality and the premise of using sustainable and resource-saving materials and supply chains. Our young customers in particular are paying more and more attention to where and how the products they wear are made. Of course, fashion standards must not be neglected,” explains Axel Brosch.
The Oberalp Group sees itself as a brand house for the outdoor and mountain sports sector and not only wants to be a distribution partner, but also a brand developer. In addition to its own brands Salewa, Dynafit, Pomoca, Wild Country, Evolv and LaMunt, the South Tyrolean company is also a distribution partner for the brands Speedo, Under Armour, Fischer, Smith, X-Bionic and X-Socks, Barts, Falke and Burlington.
2117 was founded in 2003 by a group of friends who were looking for high quality, sustainable and affordable ski clothing but couldn’t find what they were looking for on the market. The Swedish startup grew quickly, not least because of the exceptionally sustainable approach that the company founders still live by today. The Swedish brand is now part of the brand portfolio of “Wänerstedt AB”, a family business that has been in the fashion industry for generations. 2117 is currently represented in 18 countries on four continents and is available in Germany and Austria in specialist sports shops as well as at Galeria Kaufhot, Intersport and Sport Scheck.